There are many fields, such as entertainment, academics, business, health care, etc., that utilize media having time based streams of information. These time based streams of information may be in the form of full motion images, e.g. video and movies; audio, e.g. music, sound effects, and voice/narration; motion graphics, e.g. animation; still images, e.g. text, pictures; and combinations thereof. The information is usually comprised of a stream of individual units, e.g. frames or blocks. Frequently, this information is in a digital format and resides on any of a number of conventional electronic mediums.
Oftentimes, the time based information is assembled into a presentation through the use of a processing system to edit the information. For example, a video may be edited and combined with audio, text, effects and/or graphics to create a presentation. A “presentation” is any changed version of an original time based stream of information or a modified copy of the original information. In addition, a “presentation” also may further be defined by at least one instruction for representing the original information in a changed form. In such an instruction-based presentation, the information is communicated in the manner according to the instruction. For example, a software program may include directions on how a digital video should be played, for instance, where only certain frames of a video are chosen for display.
Digital editing is typically performed in a processing system and involves random retrieval of information from storage, communication of the information, e.g. display on a monitor, and then manipulation of the information to produce the desired presentation. Various types of editing may be performed as new techniques for altering raw information are created. A portion or portions of sequential information, also referred to as a “clip,” such as a continuum of segments, frame, block or footage, may be rearranged into a desired order. Typically, the presentation appears as a seamless flow of the edited information. Editing may further entail removing portions of clips. During editing, particular “edit features” may be added to the presentation, such as transitions between clips, special effects (e.g. black and white, brightness, contrast, texture, echoes, compositing, blurring, etc.), text, graphics, clack background, silent audio segments, combinations of different types of time based streams of information, such as audio and still images, and the like. Various types of editing may be performed as new techniques for altering raw information are created.
Traditionally, editing of multimedia to produce presentations involved complex techniques performed by trained professionals. However, recently novice users have become interested in making presentations, as well. There has been increasing popularity in the processing of multimedia to produce sophisticated home movies, web sites, etc.
Given the currently diverse level of skills among authors of presentations, it is desirable to provide processing a system that are easy and convenient to operate. Such system should require less hands-on activity of the user and have a simple user interface display.
Although previous authoring systems provide for varying levels of ease for the novice user, there are still several drawbacks to these systems. Some prior systems include Studio DV from Pinnacle Systems Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif.; Avid Cinema® from Avid Technology, Inc. of Tewksbury, Mass.; Adobe Premier® from Adobe of San Jose, Calif.; Dazzle* Digital Video Creator™ from Dazzle Multimedia of Fremont, Calif.; and DVgate™ from Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan.
In general, processing systems require that the time based stream of information be captured from a media source and entered into the system. The system must be able to receive information as quickly as it is being transferred from the source so as to not lose any portion of the information. The usual speed for loading video information into the system is about 3.5 Mbytes per second. The length of the video may vary, depending in part on the amount of storage space available in the system.
In order to avoid missing the capture of any segments of information, earlier systems require that all other applications be suspended during the loading process. Furthermore, these prior systems usually disable all controls, such as keyboard commands, mouse commands and on-screen commands, while the system is in capture mode, and prepared for acquiring a time based stream of information. As a result, a user may not perform other tasks while information is being acquired. In fact, for some systems, the selection of a control by the user during this period disrupts the entire capture process. The user may stop capture in these prior systems by hitting any button on a keyboard, selecting an option on the display, clicking on a mouse, etc. Thus, the user must remain idle until after the information is obtained. During capture, the user cannot select from various controls or work with other applications on the system. As a result, much time is wasted during the capture process with these prior systems, and especially where a good deal of time is required to deposit large amounts of information.
Some previous processing systems do permit display or output of the transferred information during the capture process for viewing or listening. However, the output by these systems is of low quality. Instead of devoting the system to generating high quality output, the system dedicates much of its resources to the reading and writing of information entering the system to avoid loss of information. For example, typical prior systems display at a rate of about 3 frames per second during video capture. However, the rate for video to transfer into a system is often 24 to 30 frames per second. As a result, the display during the capture process is a poor representation of the quality of the information that is actually being captured. The user is not able to tell the true quality of information entering the system until after the information is stored.
Moreover, prior systems generally have complicated user interfaces for capture and edit of the time based stream of information. The systems require separate display screens for the various modes of operation, such as acquiring of information and editing of the information. In order to read and write the information into the system, the user must select a capture mode, whereupon the system displays a capture screen and the tools necessary for acquiring information. Thereafter, the user switches to an edit mode for display of an edit screen having controls for manipulating the information. This toggling between multiple screens for edit and capture complicates the process and wastes screen real estate.
In light of the shortcomings of the various currently available systems, there is still a need for creating a presentation of a time based stream of information in a manner that is quick and easy to perform. In particular, there is a desire for a processing system that has a simple user interface that provides efficient use of screen real estate by providing a single screen that is functional for both capture and edit. The output of information being captured within the system should also substantially reflect the quality of the incoming information. Furthermore, there is a need for a system that permits a user to perform multiple tasks at once, such as run capture routines simultaneous with other applications. The system should reduce the need for hands-on by the user, such as the necessity for manually directing various operations.